Are you aware that Islamic students in universities throughout the free world have mounted an intense propaganda war to convince the next generation of world leaders that Israel must be destroyed and the land given to the Muslims?

Last month at Cambridge University, one of the two most prestigious universities in England, Hamas activist, Azim Tamimi, an outspoken supporter of terrorist activity, gave a highly inflammable lecture blasting Israel and her existence in the Middle East, while students quietly took notes.

Last month at Oxford University, second of the two most prestigious universities in England, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon began his lecture on Israel’s narrative of the Middle East but was constantly interrupted and shouted down with anti-Semitic remarks throughout his speech.

During the event hosted by Oxford’s student body, Muslim hecklers continually disrupted Ayalon and one protester screamed “Itbah al-Yahud” – “Kill the Jews” as college guards gently moved him towards the exit after giving him time to say everything he had to say - to much applause. The auditorium was stacked with pro-Palestinian protesters who were determined that Ayalon not be heard.

Outside the lecture hall, protestors chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” meaning that Palestine would conquer all of Israel and create its own nation with borders from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Finally, after the Palestinians were all removed from the hall, Ayalon was able to give his speech and a number of students thanked him for explaining a point of view they had never heard before!

ISLAMIC TOTALITARIANISM

Muslim intellectuals are working ferociously to control what UK university students are allowed to hear from guest lectures. It’s simple: The Palestinian case is the only point of view they want heard. Translation: Palestinians can talk all they want about destroying the State of Israel, but Israelis should have no right to explain the existential threats against the Jewish state, the only democratic country in the Middle East.

Azim Tamimi next went on to deliver his hate-filled lecture at Birmingham University. A lone voice, Labor Member of Parliament Denis MacShane, criticized Birmingham’s decision, stating that Tamimi is “glorifying jihad and the killing of those opposed to his fanatical Islamist world view.” (Jerusalem Post, 10Feb10)

In fact, in a BBC interview in 2004, Tamimi declared that he would carry out a suicide mission in Israel if given the opportunity. (Ibid.) In the same interview he said, “If that is extremism, then I am an extremist. If that is terrorism, then I am a terrorist…I don’t give a d___ about the future of Israel, and yes – I want to see Israel come to an end.” (Ibid.)

Tamimi had been invited to speak at Cambridge only days after a talk by Professor Benny Morris from Ben Gurion University in Beersheva was canceled after the university’s Islamic Society accused Morris of Islamophobia and racism. A few days later, another institution of higher education, Manchester University, notified the Israeli Embassy in London that they would not be able to guarantee the safety of the Israeli deputy ambassador who was to give a speech there. A Facebook protest page organized by “Action Palestine,” a Muslim student society, warned that they would storm the lecture, and the lecture was canceled.

SHOUTED DOWN IN THE US

But don’t think for a moment that Great Britain’s universities are the only guardians of free speech that are hostile to Israeli guest lecturers.

On the very same day at the University of California, Irvine, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, a highly respected historian in his own right, was repeatedly interrupted while speaking about US-Israeli relations.

A large group of hecklers interrupted his speech 11 times, screaming epithets like, “Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech,” and “How many Palestinians did you kill?”

You have to see a video clip to believe the hatred being spewed against this professor.

Also see Fox News interview of this event:

To the credit of the chairman of the university’s Political Science department, Prof. Mark P. Petracca rebuked the protesters, telling them, “This is beyond embarrassing…This is no way for our undergraduate students to behave. We have an opportunity to hear from a policy-maker relevant to one of the most important issues facing this planet and you are preventing not only yourself from hearing him but hundreds of other people in this room and hundreds of other people in an overflow room. Shame on you! This is not an example of free speech.”

NOT IN THEIR DNA

Can Western democratic nations “get it” before it is too late? Free speech has never been and never will be a part of the DNA of the Arab Islamic people. That is simply a fact. Where is there a single Islamic Arab state that is truly democratic? (I can only hope that one day Iraq will be the exception that proves the rule.) Anyone who is a fundamental follower of the Koran knows that the ultimate goal of Islamists is a Taliban world with no Israel.

In fact, the onslaught to delegitimize and demonize Israel is coming at an ever quickening intensity. The first two weeks of March witnessed an organized “Israeli Apartheid Week” held in 40 cities across the globe including several cities in the US, Canada and England.

Believe it or not, some of the “hottest” speakers were far-left Israeli professors from the University of Tel Aviv, Haifa University, and Ben Gurion University. They are the equivalent of the West’ bleeding heart liberals – who are convinced that Israel does not have the right to “colonize” Arab lands. They live in denial that the express aim of Palestinian Islamists is to completely wipe out the Jewish state. These professors, along with the other participants of Israel Apartheid Week are working hard to get their very practical message out, which is BDS - Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. Bring Israel to its knees.

When Israelis or Jews join in the demonizing process, the damage is indeed very grave. The most destructive document ever put together against Israel is the recent Goldstone Report by the South African Jew, Judge Richard Goldstone, who headed up a stunningly damning and altogether biased report of Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

The end goal of the report (whether intentional or not) is to make it impossible for Israel to fight terrorism – because Hamas terrorists use human shields and they booby trap occupied homes, schools and hospitals regardless of (or because of) the presence of their own citizens – the better to make martyrs for Islam. The more Palestinian civilians killed, the greater the outcry against Israel.

ISRAEL FIRST, DEMOCRATIC NATIONS NEXT

The West does not comprehend that actions today thwarting Israel’s ability to fight terrorism will one day be aimed against Western nations trying to protect themselves from Islamic terrorism.

Just a few days ago, NATO forces killed 23 civilians in the Afghanistan war. NATO complained that the Taliban was using human shields, making it difficult for NATO to get at Taliban militants. Really?

The organizers (Muslims and their Western friends) of Israeli Apartheid Week explain their goal: To impose sanctions on Israel which will force her to give the Palestinians their own state and allow millions of Muslim Palestinians to move into Israel proper. Meanwhile Hamas continues to preach its dogma that the terrorist organization will never recognize the legitimacy of a homeland for the Jews and “two states, living side by side in peace,” as America and Europe love to describe it. Hamas wants one state – a Muslim state.

ISRAEL: FAR FROM PERFECT

Israel is not faultless by any means. Any of us living here can vouch for that. But Israel is far far from being an apartheid state. In fact, I do not believe there is another state in the world that gives more freedom to its Arab minority than Israel.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

Israeli Arabs vote for whoever they wish – Arab or Jew – to be their representatives in the Knesset. At the moment there are 12 Arab Knesset members out of 120. Some of these Arab politicians blatantly and continually call for the destruction of Israel, and several have traveled to enemy countries such as Syria to help terrorists there in their battle against Israel!

Would the United States or Great Britain permit Muslim parliamentary representatives to team up with the Taliban or al-Qaida leadership with the express purpose to destroy their own country? Would the US allow congressmen to lobby for the overthrow of their government? Israel does!

Another example: Twenty percent of Haifa’s university students are Arabs. Even so, some of them are participating in The Apartheid Week and have sent a letter to the organizers of the movement, applauding the attempts to impose economic sanctions to bring Israel to its knees. Could they write such a letter as citizens in any other Arab Islamic nation? I assure you they could not.

There are more than 50,000 Israeli Arabs working in Israel government offices. An Arab sits in the Supreme Court. Arab doctors and nurses and Arab patients are present in every Israeli hospital mingling with secular and Orthodox Jews – with absolutely no prejudice of any kind.

Obviously, there are many Israeli Jews who are frightened of Muslims because of decades of wars and suicide terrorism. Even Christian Arabs are afraid of Palestinian militants. Nevertheless, there are many Israeli Jews who reach out to the Arab people. And of course, the Messianic Jews and Arab Christians have very close fellowship, because the Lord has broken down the wall of partition – completely!

U.S. citizens continue to be overwhelmingly favorable towards Israel. According to an August 10, 2009 Rasmussen poll, Israel is America’s third most favorable ally (70%), preceded only by Canada and Britain.

Americans historically identify with Judeo-Christian values, rather than with Islamic Sharia law. Three hundred forty four House Representatives (79%) signed a November 4, 2009 letter, supporting Israel and condemning the Goldstone Report.

However, since his inauguration, President Barack Obama has pushed ahead with a different approach. He has tried to curry favor among Muslims by his remarks such as “Islam has always been a part of America’s story,” and “...the Islamic faith has done so much to shape the world, including my own country.”

Distancing himself from the sentiments of the American public, he has worked to take a more “even-handed” approach to the Middle East nations.

And lately, Israel has been very disturbed over a letter signed by 54 Democratic congressmen(no Republicans) urging Obama to pressure Israel to make sweeping concessions to Hamas and to open its border entries to allow free travel of Gazans and access to steel and other building materials (which Hamas would then use to build arms for use against Israel).

The January 27, 2010 letter asks nothing of Hamas, such as to recognize the right of Israel to exist or to renounce terrorism.

Malcolm Hedding’s article has been reprinted in numerous religious magazines and websites. Its message is important; it addresses issues that cause many Jews to remain suspicious of Christians – even as they reach out to the Jewish people. For that reason, we reprint it for your perusal.

Time and time again one hears the accusation that Christians view the restoration of Israel as a stepping-stone to the final battle of Armageddon in which countless Jews will perish. Supposedly, this is what motivates Christian Zionists to side with Israel at present, while ultimately wanting to accelerate ‘the end’ and with it the second coming of Jesus.

As a consequence, the Jewish world is being warned to stay away from such Christians, since their support is insincere and based on a dark eschatological agenda.

This brings to mind an incident that took place some seven years ago in which a Jewish producer working out of London with the popular American TV show 60 Minutes asked me for an interview. While very friendly and warm at first, he quickly changed tone and asked, “So, do you believe in the New Testament books like Daniel and Zechariah which speak of a coming Armageddon in which hundreds of thousands of Jews will be killed?”

I responded by asking him if he was a God-fearing Jew, to which he answered yes. I then retorted: “Well, how is it that as a God-fearing Jew, you do not know that the two books you mentioned are not in the New Testament, but in fact are in the Hebrew Scriptures?” You can imagine the embarrassing silence that ensued.

But this brings the whole issue into proper focus. That is, the accusation leveled against Christians in this regard has its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures and not the Christian Scriptures. Armageddon (literally the “hill of Megiddo”) is only mentioned briefly in the New Testament in Revelation 16, and even then without any great detail.

Fuller accounts of this battle, however, are given in the Hebrew books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel and Zechariah. In fact, in the latter the author foretells of the destruction of two-thirds of the Jews living in the land (see Zechariah 13:8).

This writer happens to believe that this passage found its fulfillment in the uprisings against Roman oppression that took place in the land of Israel in the First Century. At that time a considerable slaughter of the Jewish community did take place.

This writer has also heard respected Orthodox Jewish rabbis preach on these same prophetic scriptures from Ezekiel onwards with similar zeal to that of their Christian counterparts.

My point is the idea that this theology is exclusively a Christian one is false. Jewish and Christian preachers have addressed it! The only difference lies in the identity of the Deliverer who intervenes. Christians believe he is Jesus and Jews assert that he will be someone else. So be it. However, one thing is clear. According to both testaments of Scripture, the coming of Messiah will be glorious and unmistakable.

I am, therefore, willing to wager that when he arrives in splendor, we all will embrace him. To do otherwise because of historical considerations and positions would be nothing short of crazy!

Also as a matter of record, most Christian Zionists do not support Israel because of some future eschatological blow-up. No, they support Israel because of the past. That is, 4000 years ago God made a promise to the Jewish people through the Patriarch Abraham that Canaan would be their everlasting possession. This promise he ratified by a covenant. This effectively means that Israel’s presence in the Holy Land is not because of prophetic considerations but because of God’s faithfulness to His promise given to Abraham.

By the way, the conflict raging in the Middle East also is about this divine promise, and God will eventually keep it in full; exactly when we do not know.

This Abrahamic covenant is also clear about the fact that Israel’s existence is for the blessing of the world (Genesis 12:1-3) and thus Christians bless her and stand alongside her because they have been profoundly enriched and blessed by her. In short, they are grateful and seek to demonstrate it. There is no other agenda. Love, from a biblical perspective, is unconditional.

A future conflict in the Middle East there no doubt will be, but I have the sneaky feeling that we will all be in it together!

Rev. Malcolm Hedding is executive director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem; www.icej.org.

A very interesting debate has arisen in Israel over how to get the Jewish nation’s message of truth as we understand and live it – against the intense Muslim and leftist campaigns to demonize and delegitimize the nation.

A recent Israeli editorial admonished Jewish students in the West to not be passive and uninvolved – thereby letting the Muslims take over the campuses with hatred, threats and lies. On many campuses, Jews in the West definitely feel intimidated to actively support the state of Israel.

As frustration over Israel’s inability to get our message out deepens, one government department has created a new website (only in Hebrew) giving facts and figures for the average Israeli to learn and be ready to share with people they meet on vacation or business trips. Their goal is simple: “Every Israeli an ambassador.”

Others, like the editor of the Jerusalem Post, scoffs at such feeble attempts, and says the government needs to prepare its officials professionally with more training, effort and money in the diplomatic, legal and media worlds, just as it carefully trains its fighting forces.

As Israel longingly looks out over the horizon for friends, Israeli media itself is recognizing, sometimes gratefully and sometimes reluctantly, that Evangelical Christians are doing an exceedingly important job in getting the truth about Israel out to the rest of the world. Important individuals such as Knesset Member Nachman Shai, (who was the calming face and voice on TV during the Gulf War when 39 missiles from Sadaam Hussein hit Tel Aviv and Haifa) is determined to integrate the help of Christians and nongovernmental organizations to stand up and fight for Israel in the media, on the internet and in the pulpit.

One area of knowledge is still lacking: Israeli officials do not yet know that the Messianic Jews – and Christian Arabs – of Israel are some of the very best ambassadors in the world for Israel.

Being Israeli Jews, we identify and understand completely the culture and realities of living in Israel. Being believers in Yeshua, we identify wholly with born-again Christians in every nation of the world. We are a bridge between Jews and Christians.

Messianic Jews not only study the Scriptures, we live the Scriptures. When the prophet Zechariah writes that the Lord has said, “I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;” we watch it “Live” on TV as the UN Human Rights Council votes against Israel more than all the nations of the world put together. We watch the Muslim peoples make their highest aspiration the destruction of Israel, year after year, decade after decade. We watch with apprehension the European Union as they often just wish that this plucky little nation and its problems would simply go away.

When chapter 12 says, “I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples,” we watch one President after the other, one Prime Minister after another, one Secretary of State after another, tackle the “cycle of violence” in the Middle East with great anticipation and aplomb, only to give up in frustration and disappointment.

But what drives us more than anything else, we also have the countless promises of God in both the Old Testament and the New – which we study and preach and live – that God will save all of Israel.

And it gives us great joy to bring that message to our world-wide family of brothers and sisters in the Messiah – that they too can join us to stand up for Israel and be counted as a friend and lover of Israel.

...meets in downtown Tel Aviv. Members come from a radius of 50 miles – from Jerusalem, Ashdod, Netanya and many small towns and Kibbutzim in between. Some take turns coming as there are not enough cars for the number of people wanting to come. The worship, fellowship and messages are their lifeline to spiritual growth as they live, study and work, often in environments hostile to their faith. Congregations are God’s weapon-of-choice to build his Kingdom throughout the world. That goes for Israel too!

Yes, I’ve been to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and seen the prayers of the desperate, the celebrations of the Bar Mitzvahs, and the brilliance of the wall in the moonlight.

I’ve sailed on the Galilee, and witnessed the incredible calmness of the breezes, the almost glass-like surface of the waters, and danced to “Hava Nagila” on a boat much like the ones that sailed in Yeshua’s days.

I’ve seen the Garden Tomb, across from Golgotha, and confirmed for myself that the tomb is, indeed, empty.

I’ve muddied myself in the therapeutic clay of the Dead Sea, and then rinsed off and read a dry newspaper while effortlessly floating in the salty water.

I’ve ridden a camel in the desert, and I’ve seen for myself the desert blooming. The farms and orchards in the desert are green and flourishing.

I’ve visited the Old City, full of vendors hawking their merchandise, enticing me to buy something to remind me of my trip to Israel.

I’ve meditated on the Mount of Beatitudes, sang “Jerusalem of Gold” when entering the city at dusk, trekked to Bethlehem, to see for myself that the “birthplace” of Yeshua (Jesus) most certainly did not resemble the current spot the religious have designated for it there.

But with all of those memories indelibly etched in my mind, I realized the beauty of Israel is not really in the amazing sites every tourist visits.

The beauty of Israel is the people— the sheer miracle of their tenacity, perseverance, strategy and resolve to work together to settle and develop a homeland for themselves.

Just landing at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, and seeing the skyscrapers is a testament of the ingenuity and gifting that reside in the Jewish people. It is a stark contrast to the rest of the Middle East, wherever you may visit. There is commerce, trade, beauty, creativity, LIFE!

No other race on earth has had as much turmoil, such resistance, and such scattering all over the world. In spite of no homeland, no allies and no common language, they rallied together to create the most controversial, talked—about, argued—over nation in the world. This is not surprising, of course, since it was foretold in the Old Testament.

Yes, the reestablishment of Israel was foretold in the scriptures. And that very fact, today, points to the miraculous, incredibly inspiring story of the last 62 years of the existence of Israel as a permanent homeland for the Jewish people.

But…back to my favorite place in Israel…

…the place in Israel I most enjoy visiting is Tiferet Yeshua Congregation in Tel Aviv— witnessing the presence of Yeshua, the Messiah, on the faces of Jewish believers— fully praising, passionately worshipping God in their Hebrew language, and vehemently dedicated to training the next generation of Israelis (their children and teenagers) to fully embrace Yeshua their Messiah, and therefore fulfill the scriptures that one day, all of Israel will be saved.

It is in this place, where Jewish believers gather, that I find my most favorite spot in all of Israel. I love their boldness to proclaim their faith. I love their desire to reach their own families with the truth— through living out their faith daily—and seeing their lives so drastically changed. Their Jewishness is unchanged…but their hearts are changed by the power of the Gospel forever!

If you have never been to Israel… GO. And when you go, do not miss the most beautiful sight in Israel—Jewish believers who love God with their whole heart—Hebrew—speaking Israelis who are committed to being part of the worldwide revival promised in scripture.

As the Jewish people recognize Yeshua as their Messiah, the whole world will take notice, and then Israel and her people will become a beacon of light to all other nations. And that will be the most beautiful sight in the whole wide world!.

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Based on the most recent financial information available, we have calculated a new rating for your organization. We are proud to announce Maoz Israel Ministries has earned our second consecutive 4-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. Only 20% of the charities we rate have received at least 2 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Maoz Israel Ministries consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America. This “exceptional” designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Maoz Israel Ministries from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.

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Hopefully, you have just read about the anti-Semitic spirit which is permeating the globe—and especially trying to infiltrate the next generation of young people—Arab, Jew, and Gentile.

But even with this demonic strategy of the enemy—WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!!!

No, we are not magicians, sorcerers, mind-readers, or fortune tellers. But we do have the answer and so do you—it is the body of believers—fully equipped—who will combat all the fiery darts of the enemy.

You know the scriptures. How do the scriptures instruct us to equip the saints? In the fellowship of the believers—the body—the congregation! That is where so much of the training, discipleship, relationship, and equipping takes place.

Have you ever known someone who decided to separate themselves from the body of believers—maybe from hurt or disappointment—and just thought they could grow and mature apart from others? Well, we’ve seen it…and the result is not pretty…they languish…they falter…they err…they become unbalanced in their faith.

That is because God did not make us to function and grow and mature without the help of others—in a healthy, nurturing, and equipping family of believers.

That is why Tiferet Yeshua Congregation is at the very heart of our ministry in Tel Aviv…and why we encourage every believer, from Galilee to Eilat, to join themselves with others in order to grow in their faith.

Our congregation is full of evangelists, teachers, new believers, seasoned ministers, young worshippers, talented musicians, lots of children, soldiers, prayer intercessors, young mothers, lots of young adult singles…and the list goes on. What do they all have in common—each other!

Our congregation is the hub of our work in Tel Aviv—it equips, touches the poor, trains and sends out new ministries, focuses on our children and youth, and, in essence, becomes our springboard for evangelism.

As with all congregations, everything we get, we pour right back into our people! And, boy, are they worth it!

Our children are worth it…our soldiers are worth it…our young adults are worth it…our “seasoned saints” are worth it…and the lost are definitely worth it.

When you give this month, just picture all of the wonderful opportunities you are providing for the believers in Tel Aviv, as well as the entire nation of Israel—youth conferences, outstanding music, evangelism outreach, children’s literature, Hebrew resources…and the list goes on…

We ask you to help us reach the lost, minister to the hurting, heal the broken, bring faith to the hopeless…all through our congregation.

As we celebrate a glorious Passover season—remembering what our God has done for us in the past—we ask you to partner with us for the future—to see ALL OF ISRAEL SAVED!

For the future of Israel and her people,

Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram

P.S. With your gift of $35.00 or more, be sure to request your copy of “Sounds of Tel Aviv,” instrumental worship songs from Israel, recorded by musicians and worshippers from our congregation in Tel Aviv. It is hot off the press this week and our Passover Gift to you! Just ask for it!

Are you aware that Islamic students in universities throughout the free world have mounted an intense propaganda war to convince the next generation of world leaders that Israel must be destroyed and the land given to the Muslims?

Last month at Cambridge University, one of the two most prestigious universities in England, Hamas activist, Azim Tamimi, an outspoken supporter of terrorist activity, gave a highly inflammable lecture blasting Israel and her existence in the Middle East, while students quietly took notes.

Last month at Oxford University, second of the two most prestigious universities in England, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon began his lecture on Israel’s narrative of the Middle East but was constantly interrupted and shouted down with anti-Semitic remarks throughout his speech.

During the event hosted by Oxford’s student body, Muslim hecklers continually disrupted Ayalon and one protester screamed “Itbah al-Yahud” – “Kill the Jews” as college guards gently moved him towards the exit after giving him time to say everything he had to say - to much applause. The auditorium was stacked with pro-Palestinian protesters who were determined that Ayalon not be heard.

Outside the lecture hall, protestors chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” meaning that Palestine would conquer all of Israel and create its own nation with borders from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Finally, after the Palestinians were all removed from the hall, Ayalon was able to give his speech and a number of students thanked him for explaining a point of view they had never heard before!

ISLAMIC TOTALITARIANISM

Muslim intellectuals are working ferociously to control what UK university students are allowed to hear from guest lectures. It’s simple: The Palestinian case is the only point of view they want heard. Translation: Palestinians can talk all they want about destroying the State of Israel, but Israelis should have no right to explain the existential threats against the Jewish state, the only democratic country in the Middle East.

Azim Tamimi next went on to deliver his hate-filled lecture at Birmingham University. A lone voice, Labor Member of Parliament Denis MacShane, criticized Birmingham’s decision, stating that Tamimi is “glorifying jihad and the killing of those opposed to his fanatical Islamist world view.” (Jerusalem Post, 10Feb10)

In fact, in a BBC interview in 2004, Tamimi declared that he would carry out a suicide mission in Israel if given the opportunity. (Ibid.) In the same interview he said, “If that is extremism, then I am an extremist. If that is terrorism, then I am a terrorist…I don’t give a d___ about the future of Israel, and yes – I want to see Israel come to an end.” (Ibid.)

Tamimi had been invited to speak at Cambridge only days after a talk by Professor Benny Morris from Ben Gurion University in Beersheva was canceled after the university’s Islamic Society accused Morris of Islamophobia and racism. A few days later, another institution of higher education, Manchester University, notified the Israeli Embassy in London that they would not be able to guarantee the safety of the Israeli deputy ambassador who was to give a speech there. A Facebook protest page organized by “Action Palestine,” a Muslim student society, warned that they would storm the lecture, and the lecture was canceled.

SHOUTED DOWN IN THE US

But don’t think for a moment that Great Britain’s universities are the only guardians of free speech that are hostile to Israeli guest lecturers.

On the very same day at the University of California, Irvine, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, a highly respected historian in his own right, was repeatedly interrupted while speaking about US-Israeli relations.

A large group of hecklers interrupted his speech 11 times, screaming epithets like, “Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech,” and “How many Palestinians did you kill?”

You have to see a video clip to believe the hatred being spewed against this professor.

Also see Fox News interview of this event:

To the credit of the chairman of the university’s Political Science department, Prof. Mark P. Petracca rebuked the protesters, telling them, “This is beyond embarrassing…This is no way for our undergraduate students to behave. We have an opportunity to hear from a policy-maker relevant to one of the most important issues facing this planet and you are preventing not only yourself from hearing him but hundreds of other people in this room and hundreds of other people in an overflow room. Shame on you! This is not an example of free speech.”

NOT IN THEIR DNA

Can Western democratic nations “get it” before it is too late? Free speech has never been and never will be a part of the DNA of the Arab Islamic people. That is simply a fact. Where is there a single Islamic Arab state that is truly democratic? (I can only hope that one day Iraq will be the exception that proves the rule.) Anyone who is a fundamental follower of the Koran knows that the ultimate goal of Islamists is a Taliban world with no Israel.

In fact, the onslaught to delegitimize and demonize Israel is coming at an ever quickening intensity. The first two weeks of March witnessed an organized “Israeli Apartheid Week” held in 40 cities across the globe including several cities in the US, Canada and England.

Believe it or not, some of the “hottest” speakers were far-left Israeli professors from the University of Tel Aviv, Haifa University, and Ben Gurion University. They are the equivalent of the West’ bleeding heart liberals – who are convinced that Israel does not have the right to “colonize” Arab lands. They live in denial that the express aim of Palestinian Islamists is to completely wipe out the Jewish state. These professors, along with the other participants of Israel Apartheid Week are working hard to get their very practical message out, which is BDS - Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. Bring Israel to its knees.

When Israelis or Jews join in the demonizing process, the damage is indeed very grave. The most destructive document ever put together against Israel is the recent Goldstone Report by the South African Jew, Judge Richard Goldstone, who headed up a stunningly damning and altogether biased report of Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

The end goal of the report (whether intentional or not) is to make it impossible for Israel to fight terrorism – because Hamas terrorists use human shields and they booby trap occupied homes, schools and hospitals regardless of (or because of) the presence of their own citizens – the better to make martyrs for Islam. The more Palestinian civilians killed, the greater the outcry against Israel.

ISRAEL FIRST, DEMOCRATIC NATIONS NEXT

The West does not comprehend that actions today thwarting Israel’s ability to fight terrorism will one day be aimed against Western nations trying to protect themselves from Islamic terrorism.

Just a few days ago, NATO forces killed 23 civilians in the Afghanistan war. NATO complained that the Taliban was using human shields, making it difficult for NATO to get at Taliban militants. Really?

The organizers (Muslims and their Western friends) of Israeli Apartheid Week explain their goal: To impose sanctions on Israel which will force her to give the Palestinians their own state and allow millions of Muslim Palestinians to move into Israel proper. Meanwhile Hamas continues to preach its dogma that the terrorist organization will never recognize the legitimacy of a homeland for the Jews and “two states, living side by side in peace,” as America and Europe love to describe it. Hamas wants one state – a Muslim state.

ISRAEL: FAR FROM PERFECT

Israel is not faultless by any means. Any of us living here can vouch for that. But Israel is far far from being an apartheid state. In fact, I do not believe there is another state in the world that gives more freedom to its Arab minority than Israel.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

Israeli Arabs vote for whoever they wish – Arab or Jew – to be their representatives in the Knesset. At the moment there are 12 Arab Knesset members out of 120. Some of these Arab politicians blatantly and continually call for the destruction of Israel, and several have traveled to enemy countries such as Syria to help terrorists there in their battle against Israel!

Would the United States or Great Britain permit Muslim parliamentary representatives to team up with the Taliban or al-Qaida leadership with the express purpose to destroy their own country? Would the US allow congressmen to lobby for the overthrow of their government? Israel does!

Another example: Twenty percent of Haifa’s university students are Arabs. Even so, some of them are participating in The Apartheid Week and have sent a letter to the organizers of the movement, applauding the attempts to impose economic sanctions to bring Israel to its knees. Could they write such a letter as citizens in any other Arab Islamic nation? I assure you they could not.

There are more than 50,000 Israeli Arabs working in Israel government offices. An Arab sits in the Supreme Court. Arab doctors and nurses and Arab patients are present in every Israeli hospital mingling with secular and Orthodox Jews – with absolutely no prejudice of any kind.

Obviously, there are many Israeli Jews who are frightened of Muslims because of decades of wars and suicide terrorism. Even Christian Arabs are afraid of Palestinian militants. Nevertheless, there are many Israeli Jews who reach out to the Arab people. And of course, the Messianic Jews and Arab Christians have very close fellowship, because the Lord has broken down the wall of partition – completely!

U.S. citizens continue to be overwhelmingly favorable towards Israel. According to an August 10, 2009 Rasmussen poll, Israel is America’s third most favorable ally (70%), preceded only by Canada and Britain.

Americans historically identify with Judeo-Christian values, rather than with Islamic Sharia law. Three hundred forty four House Representatives (79%) signed a November 4, 2009 letter, supporting Israel and condemning the Goldstone Report.

However, since his inauguration, President Barack Obama has pushed ahead with a different approach. He has tried to curry favor among Muslims by his remarks such as “Islam has always been a part of America’s story,” and “...the Islamic faith has done so much to shape the world, including my own country.”

Distancing himself from the sentiments of the American public, he has worked to take a more “even-handed” approach to the Middle East nations.

And lately, Israel has been very disturbed over a letter signed by 54 Democratic congressmen(no Republicans) urging Obama to pressure Israel to make sweeping concessions to Hamas and to open its border entries to allow free travel of Gazans and access to steel and other building materials (which Hamas would then use to build arms for use against Israel).

The January 27, 2010 letter asks nothing of Hamas, such as to recognize the right of Israel to exist or to renounce terrorism.

Malcolm Hedding’s article has been reprinted in numerous religious magazines and websites. Its message is important; it addresses issues that cause many Jews to remain suspicious of Christians – even as they reach out to the Jewish people. For that reason, we reprint it for your perusal.

Time and time again one hears the accusation that Christians view the restoration of Israel as a stepping-stone to the final battle of Armageddon in which countless Jews will perish. Supposedly, this is what motivates Christian Zionists to side with Israel at present, while ultimately wanting to accelerate ‘the end’ and with it the second coming of Jesus.

As a consequence, the Jewish world is being warned to stay away from such Christians, since their support is insincere and based on a dark eschatological agenda.

This brings to mind an incident that took place some seven years ago in which a Jewish producer working out of London with the popular American TV show 60 Minutes asked me for an interview. While very friendly and warm at first, he quickly changed tone and asked, “So, do you believe in the New Testament books like Daniel and Zechariah which speak of a coming Armageddon in which hundreds of thousands of Jews will be killed?”

I responded by asking him if he was a God-fearing Jew, to which he answered yes. I then retorted: “Well, how is it that as a God-fearing Jew, you do not know that the two books you mentioned are not in the New Testament, but in fact are in the Hebrew Scriptures?” You can imagine the embarrassing silence that ensued.

But this brings the whole issue into proper focus. That is, the accusation leveled against Christians in this regard has its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures and not the Christian Scriptures. Armageddon (literally the “hill of Megiddo”) is only mentioned briefly in the New Testament in Revelation 16, and even then without any great detail.

Fuller accounts of this battle, however, are given in the Hebrew books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel and Zechariah. In fact, in the latter the author foretells of the destruction of two-thirds of the Jews living in the land (see Zechariah 13:8).

This writer happens to believe that this passage found its fulfillment in the uprisings against Roman oppression that took place in the land of Israel in the First Century. At that time a considerable slaughter of the Jewish community did take place.

This writer has also heard respected Orthodox Jewish rabbis preach on these same prophetic scriptures from Ezekiel onwards with similar zeal to that of their Christian counterparts.

My point is the idea that this theology is exclusively a Christian one is false. Jewish and Christian preachers have addressed it! The only difference lies in the identity of the Deliverer who intervenes. Christians believe he is Jesus and Jews assert that he will be someone else. So be it. However, one thing is clear. According to both testaments of Scripture, the coming of Messiah will be glorious and unmistakable.

I am, therefore, willing to wager that when he arrives in splendor, we all will embrace him. To do otherwise because of historical considerations and positions would be nothing short of crazy!

Also as a matter of record, most Christian Zionists do not support Israel because of some future eschatological blow-up. No, they support Israel because of the past. That is, 4000 years ago God made a promise to the Jewish people through the Patriarch Abraham that Canaan would be their everlasting possession. This promise he ratified by a covenant. This effectively means that Israel’s presence in the Holy Land is not because of prophetic considerations but because of God’s faithfulness to His promise given to Abraham.

By the way, the conflict raging in the Middle East also is about this divine promise, and God will eventually keep it in full; exactly when we do not know.

This Abrahamic covenant is also clear about the fact that Israel’s existence is for the blessing of the world (Genesis 12:1-3) and thus Christians bless her and stand alongside her because they have been profoundly enriched and blessed by her. In short, they are grateful and seek to demonstrate it. There is no other agenda. Love, from a biblical perspective, is unconditional.

A future conflict in the Middle East there no doubt will be, but I have the sneaky feeling that we will all be in it together!

Rev. Malcolm Hedding is executive director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem; www.icej.org.

A very interesting debate has arisen in Israel over how to get the Jewish nation’s message of truth as we understand and live it – against the intense Muslim and leftist campaigns to demonize and delegitimize the nation.

A recent Israeli editorial admonished Jewish students in the West to not be passive and uninvolved – thereby letting the Muslims take over the campuses with hatred, threats and lies. On many campuses, Jews in the West definitely feel intimidated to actively support the state of Israel.

As frustration over Israel’s inability to get our message out deepens, one government department has created a new website (only in Hebrew) giving facts and figures for the average Israeli to learn and be ready to share with people they meet on vacation or business trips. Their goal is simple: “Every Israeli an ambassador.”

Others, like the editor of the Jerusalem Post, scoffs at such feeble attempts, and says the government needs to prepare its officials professionally with more training, effort and money in the diplomatic, legal and media worlds, just as it carefully trains its fighting forces.

As Israel longingly looks out over the horizon for friends, Israeli media itself is recognizing, sometimes gratefully and sometimes reluctantly, that Evangelical Christians are doing an exceedingly important job in getting the truth about Israel out to the rest of the world. Important individuals such as Knesset Member Nachman Shai, (who was the calming face and voice on TV during the Gulf War when 39 missiles from Sadaam Hussein hit Tel Aviv and Haifa) is determined to integrate the help of Christians and nongovernmental organizations to stand up and fight for Israel in the media, on the internet and in the pulpit.

One area of knowledge is still lacking: Israeli officials do not yet know that the Messianic Jews – and Christian Arabs – of Israel are some of the very best ambassadors in the world for Israel.

Being Israeli Jews, we identify and understand completely the culture and realities of living in Israel. Being believers in Yeshua, we identify wholly with born-again Christians in every nation of the world. We are a bridge between Jews and Christians.

Messianic Jews not only study the Scriptures, we live the Scriptures. When the prophet Zechariah writes that the Lord has said, “I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;” we watch it “Live” on TV as the UN Human Rights Council votes against Israel more than all the nations of the world put together. We watch the Muslim peoples make their highest aspiration the destruction of Israel, year after year, decade after decade. We watch with apprehension the European Union as they often just wish that this plucky little nation and its problems would simply go away.

When chapter 12 says, “I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples,” we watch one President after the other, one Prime Minister after another, one Secretary of State after another, tackle the “cycle of violence” in the Middle East with great anticipation and aplomb, only to give up in frustration and disappointment.

But what drives us more than anything else, we also have the countless promises of God in both the Old Testament and the New – which we study and preach and live – that God will save all of Israel.

And it gives us great joy to bring that message to our world-wide family of brothers and sisters in the Messiah – that they too can join us to stand up for Israel and be counted as a friend and lover of Israel.

...meets in downtown Tel Aviv. Members come from a radius of 50 miles – from Jerusalem, Ashdod, Netanya and many small towns and Kibbutzim in between. Some take turns coming as there are not enough cars for the number of people wanting to come. The worship, fellowship and messages are their lifeline to spiritual growth as they live, study and work, often in environments hostile to their faith. Congregations are God’s weapon-of-choice to build his Kingdom throughout the world. That goes for Israel too!

Yes, I’ve been to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and seen the prayers of the desperate, the celebrations of the Bar Mitzvahs, and the brilliance of the wall in the moonlight.

I’ve sailed on the Galilee, and witnessed the incredible calmness of the breezes, the almost glass-like surface of the waters, and danced to “Hava Nagila” on a boat much like the ones that sailed in Yeshua’s days.

I’ve seen the Garden Tomb, across from Golgotha, and confirmed for myself that the tomb is, indeed, empty.

I’ve muddied myself in the therapeutic clay of the Dead Sea, and then rinsed off and read a dry newspaper while effortlessly floating in the salty water.

I’ve ridden a camel in the desert, and I’ve seen for myself the desert blooming. The farms and orchards in the desert are green and flourishing.

I’ve visited the Old City, full of vendors hawking their merchandise, enticing me to buy something to remind me of my trip to Israel.

I’ve meditated on the Mount of Beatitudes, sang “Jerusalem of Gold” when entering the city at dusk, trekked to Bethlehem, to see for myself that the “birthplace” of Yeshua (Jesus) most certainly did not resemble the current spot the religious have designated for it there.

But with all of those memories indelibly etched in my mind, I realized the beauty of Israel is not really in the amazing sites every tourist visits.

The beauty of Israel is the people— the sheer miracle of their tenacity, perseverance, strategy and resolve to work together to settle and develop a homeland for themselves.

Just landing at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, and seeing the skyscrapers is a testament of the ingenuity and gifting that reside in the Jewish people. It is a stark contrast to the rest of the Middle East, wherever you may visit. There is commerce, trade, beauty, creativity, LIFE!

No other race on earth has had as much turmoil, such resistance, and such scattering all over the world. In spite of no homeland, no allies and no common language, they rallied together to create the most controversial, talked—about, argued—over nation in the world. This is not surprising, of course, since it was foretold in the Old Testament.

Yes, the reestablishment of Israel was foretold in the scriptures. And that very fact, today, points to the miraculous, incredibly inspiring story of the last 62 years of the existence of Israel as a permanent homeland for the Jewish people.

But…back to my favorite place in Israel…

…the place in Israel I most enjoy visiting is Tiferet Yeshua Congregation in Tel Aviv— witnessing the presence of Yeshua, the Messiah, on the faces of Jewish believers— fully praising, passionately worshipping God in their Hebrew language, and vehemently dedicated to training the next generation of Israelis (their children and teenagers) to fully embrace Yeshua their Messiah, and therefore fulfill the scriptures that one day, all of Israel will be saved.

It is in this place, where Jewish believers gather, that I find my most favorite spot in all of Israel. I love their boldness to proclaim their faith. I love their desire to reach their own families with the truth— through living out their faith daily—and seeing their lives so drastically changed. Their Jewishness is unchanged…but their hearts are changed by the power of the Gospel forever!

If you have never been to Israel… GO. And when you go, do not miss the most beautiful sight in Israel—Jewish believers who love God with their whole heart—Hebrew—speaking Israelis who are committed to being part of the worldwide revival promised in scripture.

As the Jewish people recognize Yeshua as their Messiah, the whole world will take notice, and then Israel and her people will become a beacon of light to all other nations. And that will be the most beautiful sight in the whole wide world!.

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Hopefully, you have just read about the anti-Semitic spirit which is permeating the globe—and especially trying to infiltrate the next generation of young people—Arab, Jew, and Gentile.

But even with this demonic strategy of the enemy—WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!!!

No, we are not magicians, sorcerers, mind-readers, or fortune tellers. But we do have the answer and so do you—it is the body of believers—fully equipped—who will combat all the fiery darts of the enemy.

You know the scriptures. How do the scriptures instruct us to equip the saints? In the fellowship of the believers—the body—the congregation! That is where so much of the training, discipleship, relationship, and equipping takes place.

Have you ever known someone who decided to separate themselves from the body of believers—maybe from hurt or disappointment—and just thought they could grow and mature apart from others? Well, we’ve seen it…and the result is not pretty…they languish…they falter…they err…they become unbalanced in their faith.

That is because God did not make us to function and grow and mature without the help of others—in a healthy, nurturing, and equipping family of believers.

That is why Tiferet Yeshua Congregation is at the very heart of our ministry in Tel Aviv…and why we encourage every believer, from Galilee to Eilat, to join themselves with others in order to grow in their faith.

Our congregation is full of evangelists, teachers, new believers, seasoned ministers, young worshippers, talented musicians, lots of children, soldiers, prayer intercessors, young mothers, lots of young adult singles…and the list goes on. What do they all have in common—each other!

Our congregation is the hub of our work in Tel Aviv—it equips, touches the poor, trains and sends out new ministries, focuses on our children and youth, and, in essence, becomes our springboard for evangelism.

As with all congregations, everything we get, we pour right back into our people! And, boy, are they worth it!

Our children are worth it…our soldiers are worth it…our young adults are worth it…our “seasoned saints” are worth it…and the lost are definitely worth it.

When you give this month, just picture all of the wonderful opportunities you are providing for the believers in Tel Aviv, as well as the entire nation of Israel—youth conferences, outstanding music, evangelism outreach, children’s literature, Hebrew resources…and the list goes on…

We ask you to help us reach the lost, minister to the hurting, heal the broken, bring faith to the hopeless…all through our congregation.

As we celebrate a glorious Passover season—remembering what our God has done for us in the past—we ask you to partner with us for the future—to see ALL OF ISRAEL SAVED!

For the future of Israel and her people,

Ari & Shira Sorko-Ram

P.S. With your gift of $35.00 or more, be sure to request your copy of “Sounds of Tel Aviv,” instrumental worship songs from Israel, recorded by musicians and worshippers from our congregation in Tel Aviv. It is hot off the press this week and our Passover Gift to you! Just ask for it!